Talking to Nobody
by SoloRogueStudios
Summary: How do you talk to someone that doesn't exist? For Riku and Naminé, these conversations were all that kept them moving in their darkest hours. A couple of short drabbles about Riku and Naminé during Kingdom Hearts 2.
1. Chapter 1: Who You Are

**Well, here I am again, this time with a short Kingdom Hearts fic. This started out as just an idea of Riku and Naminé talking and quickly ended up becoming a mostly dialogue pseudo-character study of the two of them and their motivations. I wouldn't call this a one-shot since it's significantly shorter than any of my other work, but more like a drabble. There's gonna be one more chapter after this and then I'm back to working on Marvelous Misadventures. Anyway, please read and review, and I hope you enjoy.**

 **Special thanks to my friend Aditya for proof-reading this for me.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Kingdom Hearts series or its characters. All credit for the game and characters goes to Disney, Square Enix, Tetsuya Nomura, and all other involved parties.**

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Chapter 1: Who You Are

Frantic, the blonde-haired girl ran through the abandoned streets of the dimly-lit town. Traverse Town was supposed to be a good place to lay low.

 _"Apparently not."_ thought the girl as she ducked down another alleyway.

She had been poking around the newer parts of town, the fourth or fifth district, she couldn't remember and didn't care at this point. That's when they found her; the Nobodies, white husks of former lives. They contorted inhumanly through the air in their pursuit of the panicked teenager. She rounded a few more turns to shake them off, but they were gaining quickly. The girl's white sundress and light-blue sandals weren't exactly made for running.

The now exhausted girl made one last turn under a stone archway, her blue eyes widening at what she saw, it was a dead end. The Nobodies surrounded her, making strange muffled noises from their zipper-like mouths as they prepared to attack. The girl clenched her eyes shut as the twisted creatures lunged forward to attack, but the pain never came.

The hum of a blade was heard slicing through the air. The girl opened her eyes just in time to see the Nobodies shatter into oblivion as they were struck down one by one, then two by two, until there were none left. What stood in their place was a tall man in a black coat with his hood pulled up, a strange sword that looked like a demonic wing in his hand.

"You shouldn't run off on your own like that, Naminé." he said in a deep voice.

"I've spent most of my life in captivity or in hiding. Can you really blame me for exploring a little?" responded the girl, Naminé, with a sheepish smile.

The man shrugged. "I guess n- **get down!** "

Naminé dropped to the ground as the man thrust his blade forward, skewering one last Nobody.

Naminé got up, releasing the breath she had been holding. "Thank you, Riku."

The man dismissed his sword in a cloud of darkness. "…I told you, it's Ansem."

Naminé pouted. "I'm **not** calling you that."

The man simply walked away silently as she followed after him.

"You may look like Ansem, but you're not. You are Riku."

"…Riku is dead."

Naminé stopped and stared, slack-jawed as she wrapped her head around what he just said to her. The two of them continued in silence down several roads, neither of them looking at one another. Naminé was deep in thought as she walked before she decided to break the silence.

"Was it a lie?"

"Hm?"

"Back at Castle Oblivion, you said you wanted to face your friends, you said you **would** face your friends. Was it a lie?"

The man seemed to consider her words deeply for a moment. "I guess it was."

Naminé looked away and scowled ruefully.

"I'm curious now," he said suddenly, causing Naminé to look up, "why did you help me in the first place?"

"At Castle Oblivion? Because DiZ found me and told me to."

"Now that can't be right. You're saying after you rebelled against the Organization to help Sora, you just gave yourself over to the next guy looking to use you?"

"What's it matter? He and I had a mutual goal so I went along with him." she responded, indignantly.

"Is that all, no personal reason?"

Naminé hung her head. "Part of it was because I finally got a chance to help someone."

"Weren't you already helping Sora?"

"I meant someone who's life I **didn't** screw up. I destroyed Sora's life in that castle, not to mention that Replica of you. Helping you was a way for me to finally start atoning for everything I had done."

"So, it was out of guilt?"

"Yeah, mostly."

The man thought for a moment. "That seems like a lot of guilt for, what, a few weeks of forced deeds."

Naminé looked up at him, bitterly. "You don't get it, it wasn't just Sora, it was my whole life before that."

What do you mean?"

Naminé lowered her head again. "Like all Nobodies, I started out unable to feel anything. After the Organization discovered me and my powers, they tested them. They brought people into Castle Oblivion and performed memory experiments on them. I just went along with it, just followed orders, I didn't care."

The man looked down at her, she was on the verge of tears. "So what happened? You don't seem like that now."

"I'm not. I don't know what happened, but somehow I started to feel something like emotions. I looked back after that and was horrified at what I'd done." she said, breaking into tears.

"And I take it that didn't sit too well with the Organization."

The light sobs stopped. "That was when the loneliness and the fear came to me too. They used that to keep me obedient."

"I see."

Naminé dried her tears and the pair continued in silence for a few more minutes. The tension in the air was thick enough that it could be cut with a Keyblade. Despite this, Naminé kept thinking of ways she could get through to her companion, she wasn't about to just give up on him.

"Tell me something else Riku," she started, noticing him groan at the name, "Roxas, why exactly did you fight him?"

The man tilted his head slightly. "Why does that matter?"

"Just answer the question."

"We needed to capture him, something that would've been difficult if he had gotten himself killed doing something stupid."

Naminé frowned, knowing the incident that he was referring to, but pressed on. "And why exactly was it so important for you to capture him?"

"Obviously, it was to help Sora wake up." said the man, before he could catch himself.

A sly grin formed on Naminé's face. "All that trouble just to help Sora, doesn't seem like something 'Ansem' would do. More like something Riku would do, to save his best friend."

The man tried to respond but remained silent. He hung his head, unable to refute her claim.

"…So, what about you?"

Naminé looked up, surprised at the broken silence and curious about what he meant.

"You went out of your way to help Roxas. Why?"

"Oh…well, I just…I felt like he and I were the same, in a way."

"The same?"

"Yeah, we're both Nobodies who tried to become our own people."

"Sympathy, then?"

"Yes, and…something else too, a promise I made to look after him. It's strange, I don't remember why or to whom, but I just know I had to do something."

"You just knew it in your heart, huh?"

Naminé gasped before looking down at her fee. "Yeah…maybe."

Silence hung in the air again until the man spoke up again. "I'm surprised actually, I thought there would be more to it than that."

"What d'you mean?"

"I figured you and Roxas had some kind of special connection, what with you two being Sora and Kairi's Nobodies."

Naminé's face reddened slightly in embarrassment. "I'm not in love with him or anything if that's what you think, it doesn't work that way. We're our own individuals with our own memories and experiences."

"I guess that's what makes you two so confusing, even among Nobodies."

Naminé looked up with a mischievous smile. "Are you jealous?" she asked in a teasing voice.

The man's head noticeably flinched back. "What? I-"

"I mean, you and I **did** spend a lot of time together, I'm obviously important to you. I guess it's only natural you'd be jealous of Roxas."

"No…that's not…I-"

"Relax, I'm kidding."

The man calmed down as Naminé sighed.

"I know you could never love me, no one could. Even if you did, it would only be because I'm Kairi's shadow.

The man was silent, gathering his thoughts, before responding. "That's not true. You and Kairi may be similar, but you're not the same. You're not Kairi, and I'd never make the mistake of thinking you were. You are Naminé."

Naminé looked shocked, but quickly replaced the look with a bright smile. "Yes, and you are Riku."

The man flinched back slightly. "I guess you're right."

Naminé and Riku continued their walk in an understanding silence, now more comfortable with each other's company.


	2. Chapter 2: Will You Remember Me?

**So here it is, the second chapter of this little drabble series. I'll probably consider writing a longer story about Naminé and Riku in the future, once I finish up some other projects. For now, enjoy this story. I'm back to working on Marvelous Misadventures after this so stay tuned.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Kingdom Hearts series or its characters. All credit for the game and characters goes to Disney, Square Enix, Tetsuya Nomura, and all other involved parties.**

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Chapter 2: Will You Remember Me?

Silence pervaded the dark city, the streets were clear to the point of appearing sterile. The perpetual night was illuminated only by windows, neon signs, and the large heart-shaped moon that floated above the castle in the distance.

A swirling portal of darkness opened in an alleyway, two figures stepping out before it closed behind them. One was a tall man in a hooded black coat, the other was a blonde-haired girl in a white sundress.

"We finally made it." said the girl.

"Yeah…c'mon Naminé."

The pair walked in silence through the empty roads, not particularly worried about the hostile intent emanating from every shadowy corner. Countless yellow eyes watched the duo closely, content with observing from a distance rather than challenge the hooded man. The two eventually reached a small lot, but only made it halfway across when the hooded man stopped abruptly.

"Riku, why'd you stop?" asked Naminé, after almost walking into him.

"I see you two made it here safely." said the voice of a man stepping out of the shadows.

The man approached the pair, carrying a strange mechanical device at his side. He wore a long black cloth that covered his legs, with a diagonal strap holding three brown pouches. His upper body had what appeared to be some kind of segmented armor with beige sleeves, mostly covered by a long red cape and black scarf. His face was covered in red bandages secured to his head by a pair of black belts, leaving only his mouth and a single orange eye exposed.

Naminé moved herself closer to Riku as the imposing figure advanced, knowing full well he would not be pleased to see her. The man, known only as DiZ, had made his hatred of her kind quite clear and had even attempted to have her killed when he had no further use for her.

"So, here we are," he said, "we stand on the road to the final battle. What will you two do now?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're going to help Sora." responded Riku, firmly.

DiZ nodded. "Well, I suppose this is where we part ways. I have my own objectives here, so I'll be going on ahead. Before I go, however…"

Riku and Naminé tensed up as the enigmatic man put his machine down and stepped closer to them. Both shared the same thought, that he was going to try and attack Naminé, but were surprised when he lowered himself into a bow instead.

"It has been an honor working with you." he said. "I know it does not excuse my past actions, but I truly am sorry for what I have done to the both of you."

After his apology, DiZ collected his machine and began to head towards the massive grey castle.

"Wait." said Riku, stopping him. "Before you go, I'd like to know one thing. Who are you, what's your name?"

DiZ looked back and smiled. "It's Ansem." he said before walking off.

Riku remembered the King briefly mentioning an old friend of his called Ansem the Wise, and that he would be able to help them defeat the Organization. Since then, Riku had had his suspicions that the vengeance-driven DiZ was actually this Ansem, but was unable to confirm it until now.

"Riku." said Naminé, breaking the young man out of his thoughts. "C'mon, we should get going."

Riku nodded and the pair continued onward, noticing that Ansem the Wise was already long gone. They walked past the seemingly innumerable skyscrapers, letting the tension of their meeting with the man wear off.

"Well, that was pretty unexpected, running into DiZ like that." said Naminé, trying to make conversation.

Riku nodded. "Yeah, didn't think he would actually come here himself. You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." she said with a reassuring smile. "So, what's the plan?"

Riku looked up at the slowly approaching castle. "Well, DiZ seems to be doing his own thing, we should catch up to him later if we get the chance. Other than that, nothing's really changed."

"Sora and his friends should be arriving in this world soon."

"The King will likely be with them too. Before they get to the castle, I'll scout the place out, then-"

"I'll rescue Kairi." Naminé said firmly.

"Right…you'll find Kairi and get her out of there." he replied, solemnly.

Their conversation settled into uneasy silence. Riku lowered his head while Naminé rubbed her hands against her cold arms.

"Are you alright?" asked Riku. "This place is close to the darkness, and you don't have one of these black coats."

"I'm fine," she answered, quietly, "the darkness isn't affecting me. Not like it really matters, I'll be gone soon anyway."

"You shouldn't say things like that."

"Why not? It's the truth. I'm a nothing, even among other Nobodies. My whole existence is unstable, as soon as I touch Kairi I'll start to disappear."

Riku looked down at his companion. She was trembling and had lowered her head to try and hide the bitter expression on her face. Her hands were clenched around her sundress.

"Are you scared?"

"Nobodies can't feel fear."

" Naminé." he said, sternly.

She took a deep breath, steadied herself, and unclenched her hands. She looked up at him with a determined look on her face, a mask that would convince almost anyone.

"I am returning to Kairi, I am committed to making her whole again."

"Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?"

"I'm not **convincing** anyone," she responded, vehemently, "it's the truth. This is what I want to do."

"Alright…I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize."

"Maybe, guess I just felt like it."

"Thank you, by the way."

"For what?"

"For not killing me when DiZ ordered you to. If you had, I wouldn't be able to return to Kairi on my own terms."

"Yeah well, I was getting pretty sick of taking orders from a bitter old man."

Naminé laughed a little, some bitterness of her own in her voice.

"Besides, for these past several months you've been my closest friend, sometimes my only friend. I could never bring myself to hurt you."

Naminé's breath hitched. "Yeah well, good thing you'll be back with your real friends soon."

Riku shook his head. "You're just as real a friend to me as Sora and Kairi. All those days we spent just sitting around, all those little talks we had in that white room in the mansion; all that time will always be important to me."

"Dammit Riku, you're just making this harder!" yelled Naminé, turning away to hide her tears.

"You don't have to go through with this y'know."

"Yes I do, it's the right thing to do. It's just…"

"Just what?"

"You're right…I'm scared…I'm terrified…I don't want to disappear." she cried as she grabbed Riku's coat and buried her face into his chest.

Riku was taken aback at first, but eventually placed his hands on Naminé's back. "Shh, it's alright, it's alright."

"No it's not, nothing is alright." she said, her voice muffled by fabric and sobs.

"I know, it's not fair."

"I've finally built up all this confidence, I can finally stand on my own, and here I am breaking down again."

"It's alright to have second thoughts, it's not easy to sacrifice yourself for someone else."

"I guess you could relate, huh?" said Naminé, now drying her tears.

"Yeah."

"Thank you…thank you again for understanding."

"You don't need to thank me."

"I know…I guess I just felt like it." she said with a weak smile.

"Funny. Feeling better?"

"A little bit."

The two stayed together for what felt like an eternity as Naminé regained her composure. The Heartless seemed to perk up at the moment of apparent weakness, but Riku's hostile intent kept them at bay.

"So…what do you want to do now?" asked Riku.

"…I want to return to Kairi." replied Naminé, noticeably calmer than before.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm ready."

"And you're not scared?"

Naminé shook her head. "I'm still scared, but I have to do this. It's the right thing to do."

"Alright then, I'll support your decision."

The two continued their walk towards the castle in the distance, even more motivated by Naminé's renewed resolve.

"Riku."

"Hm?"

"Do you know what really scares me about disappearing?"

"What?"

"As someone who truly understands the value of memories, what scares me the most is being forgotten."

"I see, I never thought of it that way."

"Tell me, Riku; when this is all over, will you remember me?"

"I will."


End file.
